Click for more
information
Get Multi
Galatians 2:11-13
Download
mp3 audio
"But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because
he stood condemned. [12] For prior to the coming of certain men from James,
he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw
and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. [13] And
the rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even
Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy."
"Birds of a feather," they say, "flock together." It is natural for
people who have something in common to want to hang out together and spend
time with one another. I suppose there isn't anything sinister or evil
about that, but there is a point where this attitude can cross the line
of acceptability. Especially when it stops clustering people together and
starts dividing them. We live in an age of enlightenment-where we strive
for equality and celebrate diversity-something, I might add, is more easily
said than done.
In an article for Newsweek, Fareed Zakaria berated Christian preachers
for making anti-Muslim statements. He called their statements, "bigoted
rantings by preachers." He wrote, "Falwell, Robertson and Graham's hate-filled
campaign is lighting fires that could grow into a terrible conflagration."
(Newsweek, October 21, 2002, p. 40)
My immediate response to these words is to take offense. Part of my
reaction is because of the climate since the terrorists attacks of 9-11,
and I'm sure part of my reaction is because I am a conservative Christian
preacher myself. I want to ask, Isn't Zakari's article the pot calling
the kettle intolerant? Don't his words seem hate-filled? I guess it is
wrong to criticize anyone in the Muslim world, but OK to have a field day
on Christian preachers.
But when I set aside my offense and think about his statement, another
issue really emerges-it is hard, even for the most enlightened among us
not to have prejudices of one sort or another. Do you? Be honest. Do you
struggle with prejudice from time to time? I know I do. In this article,
even while denouncing hate-filled communication, Zakaria communicated with
harsh language. It is almost impossible to be prejudice free. Something
Peter learned when Paul confronted him with his inappropriate behavior.
Peter should have known better.
In Acts 10:11-17 Peter had an awakening of sorts, the scripture says,
"and he beheld the sky opened up, and a certain object like a great sheet
coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, [12] and
Thank you for reading the free preview of this
sermon. The full
manuscript is available to Premium
Members
use these resources in their ministry.
For an all access pass to the more than 300 full-text
sermons and 2000 + Fresh Sermon Illustrations become a premium member for
a one time payment of $49.95 by clicking on the graphic below.
Or if you would prefer to get your sermons "one series
at a time," visit FreshSermon.net,
where you can get quality sermon series at the affordable price of
$9.99 per series.
|